A violent thug who smashed a stranger over the head with a bottle of Grey Goose vodka in Brighton has been jailed.

Joseph Smith, 23, and of no fixed address, was found guilty of two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent at Lewes Crown Court, following the unprovoked attack in August 2018, said British Transport Police.

The judge sentenced Smith to seven years in prison with two years on extended licence on August 16.

On 12 August 2018 at around 11.45pm, the victim had stopped for a kebab with a friend on his way to Brighton station while his girlfriend waited outside, said police.

The court heard Smith and a friend were being rude and abusive to passers-by in the street, and they approached the victim’s girlfriend and made a series of lewd comments towards her.

The victim left the shop and he, his girlfriend and another friend continued walking to Brighton station ignoring the pair.

Police said Smith followed them to Brighton station, continuing to be abusive before looping in front of the victim and smashing him across the head with a large bottle of Grey Goose vodka, causing him to fall straight to the ground.

He was taken to hospital by ambulance where he received treatment for multiple complex facial fractures.

Officers said Smith initially boarded a train to swap his t-shirt with a man on board, before taunting the victim’s girlfriend who was trying to point him out to staff, saying: “What was I wearing? Well it will show differently on the CCTV won’t it.”

He then quickly left the station before officers arrived. Following a number of enquiries, he was arrested at an address in Burgess Hill in April 2019, said police.

The judge said Smith was a “dangerous” individual with “an inability to control himself” and “showed no real remorse” for his actions.

In his victim impact statement, the victim said he has felt vulnerable and struggled to sleep properly since the incident.

The second charge relates to an incident on March 29 2018, where Smith punched a man after being kicked out of a bar in Burgess Hill, fracturing his jaw and knocking out several teeth.